


Let Me Play Among The Stars

by holdyourbreathfornow



Series: Family of Three [8]
Category: Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: Accidental Muppets parallels, Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Gen, Just two kids being friends and having sleepovers and I love them, Spoilers for Muppets From Space, pillow forts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:08:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdyourbreathfornow/pseuds/holdyourbreathfornow
Summary: Tommy's excited for his sleepover with his friend Joshua, so they can make pillow forts and listen to his Dad's old Frank Sinatra records.
Relationships: Bubby & Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Dr. Coomer & Gordon Freeman, Tommy Coolatta & Gordon Freeman, Tommy Coolatta & The G-Man
Series: Family of Three [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918150
Comments: 26
Kudos: 215





	Let Me Play Among The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is soft I promise.

Tommy usually spends Saturdays cleaning his room, but today he’s just too excited and spends the whole day following his dad around the house.

He and Joshua are having their first sleepover, while Bubby and Coomer have a date night.

“I trust you. To be on your besssst behavior.” Dad tells Tommy as he cleans the kitchen and Tommy nods, sitting at the counter.

“I’m- uh, I can be good!”

“I know you can.” Dad smiles at Tommy and Tommy smiles back. “Do you… Want a soda?”

“Yes, please!” Tommy blinks and grabs the Sprite now on the counter in front of him. “Thank you!”

“Of coursssse. So. What should the three of us… Do tonight?”

“Hmm…” Tommy thinks, his feet swinging as he cracks his Sprite open. “Joshua likes space! Do you know any- Maybe we can make a pillow fort? And watch a kid-friendly alien movie?” Tommy knows he has to specify about the ‘kid-friendly’ part because Dad had learned that kids find certain movies scary the hard way. 

“I think… I will let you pick. The movie.” Dad smiles at him. “After all, you… Have excellent taste. Mossssst likely from me.”

“Hmm…” Tommy sips at his soda and keeps thinking.

-

By the time it’s actually time for Joshua to get there, Tommy’s got several different movies picked out. He’s spent almost half an hour sorting them into a tier ranking for Joshua to pick from when the door bell rings. Tommy squeals in excitement and leaps to his feet, running to the door. He bounces next to it excitedly until his dad can come and open the door.

As soon as the door is open, Joshua’s inside, clinging to Tommy. Tommy hefts him up as much as he can, though that makes Joshua drape in a very liquid way like when you lift a cat.

“Ssssssay hello to… Harold and Bubby.” Tommy sets Joshua down and walks over to shake the two adults’ hands, like he’s been taught.

“Wh-what are you gonna do for your date night?”He asks and Bubby grins.

“Well, the museum in town is doing an exhibit about the history of fireworks so we thought we might go there and… Well, we’re gonna set it on fire!”

“Pleasssse don’t encourage. My son. To become an arsonissst.” Dad seems playfully annoyed and Bubby just laughs while Dr. Coomer kneels down to hug Joshua goodbye.

“I trust you’re going to be good and have fun?”

“M-hm!” Joshua hugs Dr. Coomer and then goes to wrap himself around Bubby’s leg, letting Bubby ruffle a hand through his curls.

“Be good, Freckles. We’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay, Papa!” With that, Joshua lets his dads go and runs back over to Tommy. “What are we gonna do tonight, Tommy?”

“I, uh, thought we could build a pillow fort and watch movies! I know you like it when I sort them before, so I did and we can both pick one-” Tommy rambles on as he and Joshua wander further into the house while the grownups talk about boring things like police evasion and plausible deniability at the front door.

-

The pillow fort is tall enough it touches the ceiling and Dad had helped them string some of Tommy’s fairy lights across the top of the inside. Joshua’s pressed against Tommy’s side, half asleep, and Tommy plays with one of his quiet stim toys while he watches the movie.

They’re watching  _ Muppets From Space _ , and they’re on the scene where it’s revealed Gonzo is actually an alien, and his family had lost him a long time ago, when Joshua speaks up, whispering sleepily.

“Tommy?”

“Mmm.” He tears his gaze away from the movie screen and looks at Joshua. “Yeah? I-is something wrong?”

“No.” Joshua shakes his head and hugs Tommy’s arm. “I just wanted to say I’m happy we’re friends. Because I dunno anyone else who likes the Muppets like you and me, and if I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t have anyone to watch the Muppets with.”

“Oh.” Tommy blinks and beams, hugging Joshua so hard the smaller boy giggles with it. “I-I-I’m real happy w-we’re friends too! Cause I always have a lot of fun playing together and hanging out!”

“Yay.” Joshua’s smiling, but it’s disrupted when he yawns widely, dropping his head back onto his pillow. He still clings to Tommy’s arm and Tommy wiggles it around until it’s draped over Joshua, eventually dropping off to sleep as well once the  _ Muppets  _ movie finishes.

-

The G-Man smiles when he checks on them in the morning. Pillows and blankets are strewn around the two kids like the eye of a storm, and Tommy clings to the soft fabric of Joshua’s t-shirt, even while he mutters and twitches in his sleep. 

G-Man nods to himself, satisfied. Then he lets the blanket acting as the door to the fort fall shut and heads to the kitchen, turning on the record player on the counter as he does so. Frank Sinatra quietly filters through the room and G-Man hums under his breath as he starts to make some pancakes, one ear tuned to the sound of Joshua snoring quietly and Tommy muttering in his sleep. It brings a smile to his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr! @holdyourbreathfornow


End file.
